November 6. SEE.  Too many people nowadays lose their jobs, some even more than once, and seldom through any fault of their own.  Not all of them have made provision for this and many do feel “too old to dig and too ashamed to beg.” Debt counsellors and financial advisors have their hands full. Is their advice always honest and for the benefit of their client or for themselves?  That situation is really as old as the hills.  In the gospel Jesus noted that even bad managers can make good decisions; decisions that will help others and not only themselves. What is money for except to assist people?  But we cannot give away what doesn’t belong to us in order to buy favour as in Jesus’ parable of the dishonest steward. As children of the light we have much to learn about the proper use of goods – for the benefit of everyone. 

JUDGE. Reflect, share, Scripture: “Sons of this world are wiser in their own generation than the sons of light.”   From Luke 16:1-8.  Pope Francis. We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose.  The thirst for power and possessions knows no limits.  EG 55- 56.   Pope Leo: Work remains a fundamental dimension of the human experience, for not only is it a means of sustenance, but it is also a context for expression, relationships and contributing to the community. Therefore, the problems related to work extend beyond the income necessary for family survival. A society that guarantees employment to only a small fraction of the population, despite having a high level of technical development, risks exposing many to forced inactivity, a lack of responsibility and the absence of daily tasks and stimuli, resulting in human and cultural impoverishment.  MH154

ACT AND PRAY. COMMUNAL PRAYER FOR THE DEAD. 

God, Our Father, we remember in prayer those who have had a special place  in our hearts and in our lives and are now no longer here with us.  We thank you Lord, for the gift of life we have shared together.  We ask forgiveness for the hurts we caused and forgive our loved ones too. Comfort us through the memories they leave us. May those memories give us courage for our journey into the future. Grant them a place of peace and joy in your kingdom where there is no more suffering and grief.  And when each of us is called to depart from this life May we be reunited with them in eternal happiness.    Amen